January18, 2019

Washington—Representative Eliot L. Engel, Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, today made the following statement:

“Oversight is one of Congress’s key constitutional responsibilities, and that includes traveling to the central points of American diplomatic and military engagement. I view meeting with our diplomats, servicemembers, and commanders in the field as absolutely essential for American legislators, who bear the responsibility of ensuring that these brave men and women have the support and resources they need. That’s why, as Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, I was glad that Speaker Pelosi asked me to join her delegation to Belgium and Afghanistan.

“The President’s childish behavior and his Administration’s leak of confidential travel information are what we’ve come to expect from this White House, even though his actions created a potential security risk. And we will visit Afghanistan at a later date.

“Just as important, I hope the President understands that we will not permit him to hamper us from carrying out our oversight responsibilities.”